The House Armed Services Committee postponed its markup of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act with no rain-check date given, the panel’s chairman said Tuesday.
Without giving a reason for the delay, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) just five days after announcing the markup schedule for the various subcommittees, said the entire process would be pushed back to an unspecified date.
“Providing for our nation’s defense is the most important responsibility that Congress has been tasked with under the U.S. Constitution,” Rogers said in a statement. “I look forward to beginning the FY24 NDAA process in the near future to fulfill this critical responsibility and strengthen our national security.”
Most of the House Armed Services subcommittees, including the Strategic Forces panel, were to meet to mark up their portions of the NDAA on Thursday.
Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, aimed the blame for the delay squarely at House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Smith accused McCarthy of holding up budget negotiations while he negotiates with the Biden administration over whether to raise the debt ceiling.
“Speaker McCarthy delayed the markup of the defense bill because reality has come crashing in on this ridiculous, hypocritical fantasy. You cannot increase the defense budget while refusing to take the steps necessary to actually raise the debt ceiling, and while proposing to make massive cuts to the discretionary budget,” Smith said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
